In preparation for an upcoming banquet on April 22, the department has asked "alumni to share memories and stories of your time invested as an RPTS major and celebrate the influence that RPTS has had on your personal lives and professional career."

Given that I was extremely involved in the department, I have quite a bit to share. I'll start with my freshman year, which was 1975-1976, about 40 years ago.

Shortly after the term began in the fall, I received a letter from the department head, Dr. Leslie M. Reid, who had started the Recreation and Parks department ten years earlier. I had been recommended by fellow freshmen majors to serve on the Liaison Committee, a group of students that met with him to "seek and define those improvements which will foster the advancement of both educational goals and professional involvement of the students in this curriculum."

The group met regularly with Dr. Reid to "discuss student problems and praise and complaints and criticism," as described in the September 14, 1976, issue of our student newsletter, "Park It Here" (more on that newsletter in a future post). The group had a mailbox in the basement of the department's then-building, Goodwin Hall, where students could leave their input anonymously.

The photograph at the beginning of this post is from one of the meetings of the committee when I was on it. Clockwise from left, the members are senior Mark Gray '76,* Dr. Reid, senior Everett DeWolfe '76,* junior Robin Pfannstiel '77, senior Don Harris '78,* fellow freshman Lynn Timken '79, and (back to the camera) senior Joaquin "Jack" Cervantes '76, the chairperson (the asterisk designates members who served the previous year or years).

Here's the letter I received inviting me to join the committee:

And here's a full list of the Liaison Committee members in 1975-76 (from the newsletter I'll be talking about in my next post). I was designated a sophomore representative because I started the year with 19 hours credit by examination.